Joe Bullock survived Stage 3B Colorectal Cancer | Colonoscopy | Chemotherapy |Oxyplatin & Xeloda

In today’s Cancer Interview podcast, Joe Bullock shares his story with host Bruce
Morton, about how he survived Stage 3b colorectal cancer, a form of colon cancer, after
first undergoing a colonoscopy due to irritable bowel syndrome which led to his
diagnosis, followed by chemotherapy treatments including Oxyplatin and Xeloda. Joe
now works with the Man Up to Cancer support group for men facing a cancer diagnosis.
Joe Bullock had experienced symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in the past. As
unpleasant as it was, he was familiar with having blood in his stool and addressed it with
over-the-counter remedies. However, while dealing with the death of his parents and his
reliance on over-the-counter medications, he was slow to seek medical attention. When
he did, his doctor thought the problem was due to hemorrhoids. Because he was not yet
50 years, he never thought he might have colon cancer; but when he turned 50, Joe’s
doctor said it was time for a colonoscopy, as did his wife, who is a registered nurse.
A colonoscopy revealed an 8cm tumor in his colon. Joe was relieved to learn the location
of his tumor was such that the tumor could be removed without his needing a ostomy
bag. Joe needed a procedure in which the tumor would be removed and the colon
reattached. However, when that surgery took place, 40 lymph nodes were removed, and
three of them were cancerous. That’s when Joe Bullock was diagnosed with Stage 3B
colorectal cancer, and he was told he require a chemotherapy regimen. The regimen
would include two medications, oxyplatin and xeloda.
Joe Bullock’s wife, thanks to her expertise, was an outstanding source of support on the
clinical side; but she had a tough time supporting the emotional side of Joe’s battle, Her
challenges and his challenges dealing with chemotherapy made Joe depressed, but he
soldiered on, following instructions and doing what he needed to do regarding the
regimen. Nonetheless, at the recommendation of his oncologist, Joe started seeing a
therapist.
Joe says the toughest part of his oxyplatin regimen took place in the first ten days after
his oxyplatin dosage. He felt was like pins and needles in throat, which limited what he
could eat. In terms of beverages, he could not drink anything cold or anything that was
room temperature. It had to be warm coffee or warm tea. Joe said oxyplatin “ruined my
tastebuds.”
As for the xeloda, it was ingested in pill form. Joe said it resulted in severe fatigue and
cognitive issues, both commonly associated with chemotherapy.
Eventually, Joe was thrilled to learn he had been declared “NED,” or No Evidence of
Disease. With this news, Joe said he and his wife to removed doctor visits and chemo
from their day-to-day lives and that for the first time in years, they could plan a vacation.
However, did have to make periodic follow up visits, and he was surprised to find he
missed the treatment regimen. He says when undergoing treatment, he felt like he was
being proactive about his cancer; but without treatment, he worried about a reoccurence
of cancer and was doing nothing about it.
Joe is still NED, but there are aspects of his health he has learned to live with. He still
has frozen foot syndrome and feels tingling in his fingers. Joe used to run, but cannot do
that anymore.
Joe Bullock is from Durham, North Carolina. He enjoys grilling and owning three pit
bulls. In terms of work, he is the Chief Operating Officer of Man Up To Cancer, a
support group that stays away from the clinical side, but prioritizes helping men with the
often-overlooked mental health of a cancer journey. ‘Man Up’ has support groups that
meet in-person and virtually, it has men’s retreats and offers numerous other services via
its website, www.manuptocancer.org . Joe Bullock says a man diagnosed with
cancer needs to be mentally tough, and Man Up To Cancer can help a man do that.
Additional Resources:
Support Groups:
Man Up To Cancer; www.manuptocancer.org
Colon Town: www.colontown.org

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Thank you so much, Joe for sharing your story with us. We wish you and your pit bulls all the best and with good health in the future!